Apocalyptic Love
by AshleyTrecartin
Summary: After the fall of the prison Daryl and Beth find themselves alone in the woods, trying to survive. Someone once told her that love happens in the strangest places, and she's beginning to realize they were right.
1. You're Gonna Miss Me

Beth was feeling good, and not because she didn't have a hangover. She had one alright, her head was pounding and she'd already thrown up three times. Daryl was beating himself up about it, no matter what she'd said. "Should'a reminded ya to drink water," he mumbled as he held her hair back while she emptied her stomach again. Beth cleared her throat and straightened, before she could wipe her mouth on the back of her hand, Daryl handed her his handkerchief. She smiled and took it from him. It smelt like him.

"There's a cabin about a mile from here," she told him as they started walking again. "Zach and I found it one night." She smiled remembering that night until she ran into Daryl's back. He was looking down at her over his shoulder with a look on his face that terrified her. "What?"

"You don't go on runs, what were you doing out here?"

Beth blushed. "We uh…wanted to be alone…"

Daryl growled and started pacing back and forth. He ran a hand through his hair before he kicked a tree, knocking the bark clean off. "Damn it Beth, don't you think?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"You left the safety of the prison to fuck?" He huffed and continued pacing. Beth bit her lip and reached out to touch him, to try and calm him down. "And with that little bitch?"

Beth was starting to get angry. That was no way to speak of the dead. "Daryl, stop."

"No," he yelled, taking hold of her shoulders. "That kid didn't know what the hell he was doing out there. Do you know how many times he nearly got killed and I saved his ass?" He glared at her before turning away, his fists balled into tight fists. "You could have died."

Beth bit her lip and walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder and turning him around. "I'm sorry Daryl," she said softly.

He sighed and looked away. "S'fine." He started walking again in the direction of the cabin. "Is it at least somewhat boarded up?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's safe," she answered, falling into step beside him. She sighed and kept her eyes on the ground. Her good mood was gone. She knew she was stupid for leaving the prison with Zach, she'd felt bad about it for weeks afterwards. But, on the other hand, she knew where they could find shelter for the night, so she didn't regret telling Daryl about it. But now he was mad at her, and that she regretted. They were doing so well, and she felt like they were getting so close…and then she went and ruined it.

They made it to the cabin and Daryl went inside first, double checking to make sure it was clear of walkers while she stood guard at the door. She sighed and kept her eyes on the wood surrounding the cabin. She heard them before she saw them. They came from the back of the house, two from each side. Beth tightened her grip on her knife and calmly walked along the porch and stabbed one in the head, quickly pulling her knife and taking out another. The other two were starting to climb the stairs. Beth opened her mouth to call for Daryl but changed her mind. She could do this.

She ran up on the closest walker and stabbed it, closing her eyes against the spray of the blood and moved out of the way as she ripped the knife from its skull and let it fall. The last one was too close to her for her to get a good shot at its head. It reached out to grab her so Beth kicked out at it to push it back. She lost her footing though and fell backwards over the rail, the knife fell from her hand and she felt the sharp bite of the steel as it sliced her arm open.

She ground her teeth against the pain and got up, grabbing the knife and jumped, stabbing the walker in the head. It fell back as she touched the ground again and crashed into a window, shattering it. Daryl came running, crossbow raised. He took a look at all of dead walkers and then looked over at her. "You alright?" he asked.

"Fine," she grunted and pushed past him and into the house. "We got any bandages?" She pulled her bag off her shoulder and started to go through it one handed. Daryl came up behind her and gently put his hand over her wrist stopping her. Beth looked up at him as he reached around her body and took her other wrist in hand, looking at the long gash in her arm. He pulled his bag off his shoulder and pulled out a roll of bandages they'd found somewhere.

"Should'a been more careful," he mumbled as he grabbed the water bottle and poured a little down her arm. Beth hissed as pain seared through the cut. "Sorry." He started wrapping the bandages around her arm and found some duct tape in his bag to close it with. He started to seal up the cabin. Beth started looking in the cupboards, hoping that maybe there was something to eat. She and Zach hadn't looked when they were here. Unfortunately there wasn't anything.

She turned instead to Daryl. "There's nothing to eat," she said looking him in the eyes.

"I'll go see if I can find something." He picked up his crossbow and gave her a once over with his eyes. "Why don't you work on a noise trap?"

Beth nodded and waited until he left before she let her tough demeanor fade away. Her arm hurt, her stomach was empty, and she desperately wanted to cry. _We don't get to do that anymore._ Her own words echoed in her head as she went outside to hang up the noise trap around the house. Now she knew why Daryl had grabbed so much from the golf course. Things to burn. Things that made noise. He was looking out for them both.

She was so mad at herself for even mentioning this place. Now Daryl was mad at her, and to be honest, she was starting to get mad at him. She knew where the was safety for the night. Why should it matter how she knew about it? She hadn't died that night her and Zach had come out here. Hell, they hadn't even seen a damn walker. So what was his problem?

After the trap was put up she went back into the house and started looking around for things they could take with them that could be useful. The kitchen had plenty of knives and Beth gathered them all on the table, along with about fifteen water bottles she'd found. The back bedroom was next. It'd been a teenage girl's room. She opened up the closet and looked inside. It wouldn't hurt to have a few more articles of clothing with her. She picked out just two shirts and another pair of jeans, along with a bra that looked like it should have been in a Victoria's Secret store. The bathroom still had some medicine in it, which she took, along with toothpaste and two toothbrushes. Under the sink there was a first aid kit, which she also took. Other than that there wasn't much in there.

The next bedroom must have belonged to the parents. She knew Daryl probably wouldn't wear anything in the closet, but she picked out what she thought he may not be disgusted with and took it back to the kitchen with her. She checked the hall closet and found a stash of blankets that she grabbed. The living room didn't have much of anything that was useful. Just some candles and a few flashlights which she added to the pile of things she'd taken from the other rooms. Looking over everything on the table she frowned. There was no ammunition for her gun, or Daryl's crossbow.

That's when she remembered there was a basement, and a shed out back. Beth grabbed the biggest knife on the table along with the other one she already had on her and headed out to the shed first. There could be more useful things out there. Being careful of the noise trap, Beth walked around to the back of the house and pulled open the doors. They looked like they'd been sealed for a long time. Peaking inside she didn't see any walkers so she headed in and looked around. This place was gold. She found a few yards of rope, a machete, fishing line and some hooks, which could be used for stitching up her arm, zip ties, a tarp, and some flint. She was about to turn and walk out when she saw the camping gear in the corner. Beth smirked and pulled the wheelbarrow over and filled it with the treasure she'd found. A tent, a camping stove with all of the fuel, a few pots and pans, and utensils that fit on a key ring. She wheeled it back into the house, which wasn't easy going up the stairs and parked it next to the table. The basement was next.

Beth walked over to the door that led to the cellar and banged on the door then listened for any walkers that might have found their way down there. When she didn't hear anything, she grabbed her bag, emptied it on the table and a flashlight before heading down. Halfway down the stairs she stopped and shone the flashlight around, double checking. Still no walkers. Convinced she would be okay she finished the decent down the stairs and started looking around. More knives which she put in her bag, and some more rope. She looked around a bunch of shelves containing junk and found the holy grail. There had to be at least fifty arrows in a quiver. Beth shuffled the quiver over her shoulder and put the boxes of ammunition in her bag that was lying on the table. She was nearly ready to give up when she looked behind her and saw another stack of shelves, these had food on them; canned peaches, apples, salsa, pickles, and tomatoes. She filled her bag to the top and grabbed a burlap sack and filled that too, taking everything from the shelves.

"Beth," Daryl yelled.

"Down here," she called back heading back up the stairs. Daryl threw the door open and had his crossbow raised. "Calm down, it's just me." She walked past him with everything over her shoulder, hopefully hiding the arrows. She wanted to surprise him.

"What were you doing down there?" he asked, setting the crossbow on the counter.

"Getting supplies, look at all of this stuff I found," she said nodding to the table. Daryl whistled and she knew he was impressed with her. While he was looking through the camping supplies she carefully set the arrows out in front of him. "Found theses too."

Daryl pulled one out and examined it closely. "The expensive kind," he smirked and looked at her. "Nice work. What else did you find?" Beth smiled and showed him her haul. "Well shit, we could hang out here for a while. Got half a dozen squirrels we can eat too." She smiled and stated to set up the camping stove while he cleaned two of the squirrels for them.

"Daryl?" He grunted at her. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She hated the fact that she could feel the burning prick of tears, but she was upset. She hated making him angry.

He looked at her and frowned. "Why?"

"For doing something stupid like coming out here with Zach." She looked down as she brought some water to a boil. "I don't like making you mad."

Daryl sighed and brought over the meat, dropping it into the water. Then he pulled her into him, something Beth wasn't accustomed to with him. "Shouldn't have yelled at ya," he said into her hair. "I just couldn't get something out of my head."

"What?" she asked looking up at him.

"You said, 'You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone Dayrl Dixon', and I realized, yeah, I am. I could lose the others, I'd hate it, but I could lose them, hell, I already done did that." He sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. "I ain't no good at this." Beth stayed quiet, just looking up at him; he'd answer in his own time. "If I lost ya….it'd break me."

Her heart broke and she just pressed tighter against him, wrapping her arms tighter around him, getting as close as she could. She felt his arms tighten around her, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to spoil the moment. She just wanted to be, in his arms, where she knew she was safe.


	2. Beer to Shotgun

Beer to Shotgun

The tune of the piano faded as Beth finished the song. Daryl hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her, and he hadn't been able to let his mind stray from listening to the sound of her song bird voice. He didn't like to admit it, but it calmed him down and just let him be. If the world hadn't gone to hell in a hand basket he'd bet everything that Beth would have made it big, she had the talent. Daryl watched Beth drop her hands into her lap and look at him over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go to bed."

He started to sit up. "Do you need help?"

She shook her head and smiled. "I got it, enjoy your coffin." Beth limped over to him and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Daryl Dixon."

He watched her limp out of the room as he fought the blush creeping into his face. He didn't deserve her, as a friend, or worse, what he was wishing she'd be. He wasn't stupid enough to think he'd ever love someone, let alone have someone love him. That wasn't what he was looking for. You couldn't be allowed to look for that in the world today. No, he was looking for comfort, a warm body next to his, someone to fight beside him in a world that wasn't worth fighting for. He just needed someone, and he wanted that someone to be her. Yeah, he wanted her, but he was a sick son of a bitch for wanting that. She wasn't his to have.

Glaring at the ceiling he started to get cynical with himself, something he liked to do just for fun. He could still hear what she said, about how she'd snuck out to that cabin with Zach. She'd never want to do that with him, ever. He doubted any woman would. And Beth _was_ a woman. By all rights. He'd seen it happen right before his eyes. She was right, she wasn't like him, or Maggie, or Michonne, but she was strong. Anyone who could go toe to toe with him when he was drunk on moonshine was the strongest damn person he'd ever met.

He sighed and readjusted his legs inside the coffin. Yeah, we a cynical bastard alright. Pining like a sick puppy over a girl he couldn't have and sleeping in a coffin in a world gone to shit. He started to fall asleep, his body exhausted. He needed a goodnight's sleep. He was nearly asleep when a scream pulled him from it. He was out of the coffin and had his crossbow in hand before he was running up the stairs to the bedroom. He didn't think a walker was up there, so maybe the owner's came back and didn't like finding a teenage girl in their bed. Or worse, they were happy about it. Daryl kicked the door open, busting the doorknob clean off, crossbow raised.

Beth was sitting up in bed, covered in sweat and panting. Once Daryl had made sure the room was clear he noticed Beth wasn't exactly decent. She'd taken off her shirt and bra, leaving the tank top that had been under the tee shirt, which was hanging very low on her chest. She'd kicked the blankets off and he realized he wasn't wearing her pants anymore either. He averted his eyes immediately. "You alright?" he grunted. She nodded her head a little. Daryl risked a glance at her, she was shaking. _Damn it_. He wasn't any good at this comforting thing. He didn't know how to. He put the crossbow down and walked over to the bed slowly, making sure he sat on the outside of the blankets. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "Bad dream," she whispered into the darkness of the room.

Daryl sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You need to talk about it?"

"No," she said, finally looking at him. "But…can you stay? Please?" Daryl nodded and stood up, kicking off his boots. Beth got situated again and he pulled the covers back up over her before lying on top of them. There was no way he was about to climb under there with her wearing nothing but a tank top and underwear. He wasn't stupid, or suicidal. If they ever did find the others and anyone found out about that…well the walkers would be the least of his concerns. Beth waited until he'd gotten comfortable on his back before rolling over on her side and getting as close as she could under the blankets. She gently moved one of his arms so she was using it as a pillow. He watched her close her eyes and take a deep breath, trying to go back to sleep. With his crossbow close and Beth closer, he let himself pretend that everything was okay.


	3. Chapter 3

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 3

He slowly lowered his crossbow. Joe seemed pleased about that. He didn't know what to do anymore. Beth was gone and he hated thinking it, but he was pretty sure she wasn't going to come back. He had no idea who'd taken her, where they'd gone. He'd run all night and when he'd reached the crossroads, he'd been lost. He couldn't track a car. He decided going with these guys was better than dying trying to find something that was gone. He hated that he felt that way. He wasn't stupid. He knew he was in love with the blue eyed blonde, but he had no way of finding her. Didn't mean he wasn't going to try. He'd keep his eye out as traveled with them. Maybe their paths would cross. Stranger things had happened.

He followed them through the woods until the made up camp for the night. He didn't hear much of what they said, didn't care. He lay down and stared up at the sky. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her, she was all he could think about. He vaguely heard Joe offer him some food but he just shook his head. He wouldn't be able to keep anything down anyways.

…

Beth curled up in the back seat. Apparently who ever took her, she didn't bother remembering their names, they thought they were saving her. She didn't believe it. She'd been safe with Daryl. She was always safe with Daryl. She had no idea where they were going, but they were keeping a close eye on her. It didn't matter though; she was going to get away from them. She was already planning her escape. They had to sleep sometime. She just had to be patient and hope that she'd be able to find Daryl again after she got away.

She was in love with him. That's all there was to it. When he'd been staring at her in the candle light, she'd known then, when he wouldn't answer her question, when he just stared at her, she knew. One of them turned around and said something to her but she wasn't paying attention. She was staring out of the window. She was going to make it back to Daryl, no matter what. She was strong enough, she could do this.

…

The finally had fallen asleep. Apparently they didn't think she was stupid enough to try running for it, but she was. As quietly as she could she took what she could fit into a bag she found. As soon as she was ready, she quietly took off into the woods. She stared running, as fast as she could. She ignored the burn in her lungs and her legs as she ran. She ran for hours. She wasn't going to stop until she found Daryl again. She ran until her legs physically gave out and she collapsed to the ground, digging her hands into the dirt, trying to get her legs to work. They shook as she tried to stand and then gave out. She crawled over to a tree and sat back against it. She hoped she'd gotten far enough away from them that she would be safe for the night. Sleep claimed her before she even realized what had happened.

…

He glanced back at the sign once more as they kept walking. Terminus sounded like something his group would head towards, especially after just losing their home. Maybe that's where the people who had taken Beth had gone. He didn't know. But he had made up his mind. He was going to leave. He had been hoping that he'd run into her with Joe, but that also made him wary. These were rough men and they wouldn't hesitate before claiming her. With his luck, he wouldn't even be around when they found her and by the time he got back it'd be too late to protect her. He'd seen what they'd done to Len for breaking the rules. He didn't want to see that happen to her.

….

She's been keeping close to the roads, hoping against hope that she'd run into Daryl. She figured that was what he would do if he was looking for. She didn't even know if he was anymore, or if he had at all. It had been days since she'd been taken, going on a week. He'd probably given up. It was starting to get dark and she'd learned the hard way not to sleep out in the open when alone. She was looking for something, somewhere to sleep for the night. It wouldn't be terribly warm, but as long as she could find something she didn't care.

When she saw the old truck sitting on the side of the road she decided it was as good of a place as any. She climbed in and dropped her bag on the seat before curling up. She closed her eyes and fought off the tears. She just wanted to find Daryl. Her chest hurt because of the anxiety and the pure feelings of missing him. She hadn't realized how deeply in love she'd fallen for him in that moment back at the mortuary. She closed her eyes as a few tears leaked out and tried to curl closer in on herself as she cried herself to sleep.

…

Daryl decided he was going to slip away from the group. He'd had enough of them. They didn't want to go to Terminus and at the moment that was his best shot at finding Beth. He needed to find her. Every second he didn't have her with him was torture. He ran through the multiple scenarios of what could be happening to her and it only made him feel worse. He'd failed her and now he needed to get her back. He slowed his pace more and more until they were out of sight. By the time they realized he was gone it would be too late. He turned around and started back the way they'd come, back to the road where the Terminus sign was. He hadn't taken more than ten steps when he heard the scream that he knew all too well. His heart froze in his chest as he turned; spinning on his heels and ran towards her. They were going to rip her to pieces.

…

Beth gasped as someone grabbed her and pulled her out of the truck. She screamed, fighting against whoever it was. "Well, would you look at that boys." She looked over at the man talking. He didn't look like one of the good guys. He reminded her of Shane and the Governor. "Looks like the good lord blessed us with a gift."

"Joe," Beth gasped, tears leaking from her eyes as she looked up at him. He slowly made his way around the truck, staring at her. "Just wait," he said softly, not taking his eyes off of her.

"You got somethin' to say, Daryl?" Joe asked.

"I'm claimin' this one," the man holding her growled out, burying his head in her neck. Beth shut her eyes tight when she felt his lips on her neck. She shook as his hands held her tight against his body.

"No." Daryl shook his head and she stared at him, using him as an anchor through the tears burning her eyes. "You're gonna let her go," he told them, his hands down, his crossbow at his feet. "You're gonna let her walk over to me." He kept his eyes on her and she felt her chest tighten up. She needed to be in his arms again. She tried to break away from the man holding her but he wouldn't let her go. She just wanted to touch him.

Joe sighed and shook his head. "You've already had an exception to the rules." He smirked, putting his hands on his hips. "She's been claimed, rules are rules, Daryl." He looked around at the other men standing around, watching the altercation. "You know what happens when you break the rules."

Beth screamed as they attacked him. One of them hit him in the gut with his gun and Daryl crumpled over as another man grabbed him, dragging him to the side. "Stop," she screamed, fighting harder against the man holding her. She could hear her shirt ripping but she didn't care. "Don't hurt him, please," she begged. "I'll do anything, just please, stop." They weren't listening to her. The man holding her was laughing, his hands touching her, working his way under her clothes. "Let him go," she begged as he was thrown against the hook of the truck. They wouldn't let up, they kept hitting him and kicking him, he couldn't fight them off, not three of them. "Daryl," she screamed. "Stop hurting him, please!"

A shot rang out loud and clear through the night and her screams and sobs. Everyone stopped; Daryl coughed up blood as he held his side and looked up, watching one of the men that had been attacking him fall dead to the ground. "What the hell?" Joe demanded, looking around. "Who the hell is out there?"

Another shot came, and another and another. The men who had been attacking Daryl all shot. He stood up on shaky legs and coughed as he glared at the man holding Beth. "Let her go," he demanded. She felt him let go of her, his hands slipping out from under her clothes as he backed away slowly. Daryl held out his arms. "Come here." She ran to him, gripping his shirt and burying her head in his chest. She had no idea who was killing the people trying to hurt them, but she was thankful for them.

"Rick," Daryl breathed out. Beth looked up and through her tears she saw Michonne put her sword through the man who'd been holding her while Rick killed Joe. They all looked at her and Beth just broke down. She fisted her hands in Daryl's shirt and refused to let go as Michonne tried to get a better look at her. She just shook her head and clung tighter to him. "It's alright," Daryl told her. She felt him bend slightly, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her over to the truck. He awkwardly climbed in with her, not letting her go. She fell asleep in his arms, too exhausted, emotionally and physically to stay awake any longer.

* * *

Credit to this tumblr user and their gifset that inspired this chapter. post/82375806575/random-au-gifsets-to-get-me-through-the-seven


	4. Chapter 4

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 4

Beth pulled the blanket closer around herself as Michonne rubbed her back. She had her head in the older woman's lap, still in too much shock to do more than lay there. Carl was sitting across from her, his gun in his lap and staring out the window. Beth felt safer knowing they were there and that Rick and Daryl were just outside. She could hear them talking.

…

Daryl sat down beside Rick, staring at the ground. "What happened?" Rick asked.

Daryl sighed, he didn't know how much to tell Rick, but once it started, he couldn't stop. "Beth and I…we got out together, wandered around for a bit. We ended up at this morgue." He sighed, remembering what had happened. "Whoever was living there was painting up the walkers to make them look like people again…she said it was beautiful." He looked at his lap. "Later, she was gonna leave a note, telling them that we'd been there, thank them for the food we ate…" He shook his head and looked at Rick. "I don't get how someone can be that…optimistic anymore, that…pure."

Rick sighed and nodded his head, looking at the ground. "She might not be the best fighter, but she's one tough woman, I'll give her that." He looked back at Daryl. "What else happened?"

Daryl shook his head. "We got attacked, walkers swarmed the house cause my dumbass opened the door thinkin' the dog came back. I told her to run for the road. By the time I got there all I saw was her bag on the ground and taillights. She got taken." He sighed, remembering how he'd ran all night trying to find her. "I met up with those guys…figured it was better than being alone. I knew they weren't good, shouldn't have gone with them." He was pissed at himself for letting that happen to Beth. She was nearly raped because of the men he'd been with, but even though he felt like the biggest dick, he knew that if he hadn't been with them, they probably would have raped her and he wouldn't have found her. "I was getting ready to leave, I was going to go look for her on my own, then I heard her scream"

He felt like a complete dick. He should have kept her safe, made sure that nothing happened to her. Rick looked at him. "Do you love her?" he asked.

Daryl stared at the ground. He couldn't look his best friend in the eyes. He knew the answer, but he didn't know if he wanted to admit it. Admitting it made it real. He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, think I do." He looked past Rick to the truck where Beth was with Michonne and Carl. "She deserves better."

Rick shook his head. "No, she deserves you." He put a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "You're a loyal man, you're good, you just won't let yourself see that, and honestly, I think you two are good for each other." He smiled a bit. "She know?"

Daryl shook his head. "Haven't told her." Rick nodded his head and they both looked over at the truck door squeaked open. Carl jumped out first and holstered his gun before reaching out his hand to help Beth out, Michonne behind her. Daryl watched them walk over. She looked as bad as he felt. Her skin was still pale, there were tear tracks down her face where she'd been crying and she looked like she was fighting to stay awake.

"We should get back on the road," Michonne said, glancing around at the dead bodies still lying where they'd left them.

Rick looked at Beth. "You okay to keep goin'?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "I can't stay here any longer." Rick nodded his head and stood up, reaching out his hand to help Daryl up.

Daryl looked at Beth as she moved closer to his side, staying closer than she had before as they started walking again. "Where are we going?" he asked, looking at Rick.

"Terminus." He looked at Daryl. "If our people are out there, that's our best shot at finding them." Daryl nodded his head as they continued down the road.

…

Beth stayed close to Daryl as they walked. She had heard what he'd said to Rick. They all had in the truck. She wasn't going to say anything about it though. She was going to keep her mouth shut. It wouldn't be fair of her to demand that he tell her. She knew he would in his own time. For now, being close to him was enough and she knew that he knew that she needed it. So much had happened recently, he was the constant in her life right now and she needed to be close. She felt if she got too far away she'd blow away, like he was the only thing holding her to the ground. When she thought about being without him again her chest ached and she felt her walls closing in around her.

She had no idea what they were about to run into at Terminus, but it had to be better than what they'd gone through already.


	5. Chapter 5

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 5  
Warning: Graphic depictions of violence.

Beth was shaking as they stood there, listening to Gareth make demands. They should have known there wasn't a safe haven anymore. Everything had seemed fine, until Rick had spotted Daryl's poncho, the riot gear, Glenn's orange bag, and her daddy's watch that he'd given her brother-in-law. Now they were surrounded by people with guns, and she knew they weren't going to make it out of this, at least not without some casualties, most likely on both sides. Gareth ordered them into the car, one by one. The door slammed shut, echoing in her ears and a panic started to set in. She grabbed Daryl's hand and squeezed, probably cutting off the blood supply.

They froze and turned slowly as they heard footsteps in the dimly lit space. Soon, Glenn, Maggie, Sasha, Bob, and a few people they didn't know walked out into the light. Beth ran to Maggie and hugged her tight. She had been starting to think that she really wouldn't see her again. The family reunion didn't last long. The door was pulled open again and Gareth stood at the door with two men, both carrying guns. "Let's start with those two." He nodded his head at Maggie and Glenn. Two more men with guns walked in and dragged Maggie and Glenn out.

"Where are you taking them?" Rick demanded.

"Maggie!" Daryl pulled Beth into him as they took Maggie away.

Gareth smirked as they were led away. "Don't worry, we'll bring them back." The door slammed shut.

Sobs shook her body as she fisted Daryl's shirt in her hands. He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her waist. "Damn it!" Rick punched the side of the car.

"Dad, calm down, you're not helping." Carl walked over to Beth and took her from Daryl so they could talk. "They're gonna be fine," he told her.

Daryl walked over to Rick, keeping his eye on Beth. "We gotta get outta here."

"How do you plan to do that?" Sasha asked. "It's not like we can just walk out. They have armed guards everywhere."

"You know you're attitude is really starting to get on my nerves." Abraham stepped forward and looked at Rick. "You think you can come up with something that gets us outta here?" he asked.

"He can do it." Michonne stepped forward now. "I've seen him get outta worse."

Daryl crossed his arms as he looked around at everyone. "I'm not saying Sasha's pessimistic attitude is right, but, she has a point. We're unarmed, outnumbered." His voice dropped so Beth wouldn't hear him. "I don't know how well she's gonna hold up either." He nodded his head at her.

Rick nodded his head and sighed. "Yeah, I got it, just…let me think."

Daryl went back to Beth and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. She needed to be close to him and he understood that. After everything she'd been through in the past few days, seeing her daddy die, losing her home, getting kidnapped, nearly getting raped, and now she didn't know what was happening to Maggie, she needed to be close to him and he was more than willing to give that to her at that moment.

Half an hour passed before the door was opened again. Maggie and Glenn were pushed back inside. They'd been worked over; they had busted lips, black eyes, bruises everywhere. Beth ran to her sister and hugged her gently. Gareth was back at the door with more men. This time he ordered Abraham and Tara out. Over and over again he took people, and over and over again they came back, looking worse than those before; Eugene and Rosita, Sasha and Bob, Rick and Michonne, until the only ones left were Carl, Beth, and Daryl.

When they brought Michonne and Rick back they looked like they'd gotten into a fight with a bear. Clothes were ripped, eyes were swollen shut and they were bleeding from numerous places. Gareth threw them back inside and looked at the only three left. "Don't you touch him," Rick growled, pushing Carl behind him.

Gareth smirked and sit sent a chill down Beth's spine. "We don't touch kids around here. We do have some morals." He nodded his head and Beth and Daryl were both led out. They were led inside the building and pulled to a stop. "Take him up stairs, I'll handle her." He grabbed Beth from one of the men.

"I don't fuckin' think so." Daryl started to fight as he was dragged off. Beth watched as he was hit over the head with the butt of a gun.

"Daryl, I'll be fine." She fought back tears as she watched him get carried away. Slowly she looked up at Gareth. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"When I want you to talk, you'll know." He pulled her off towards another room. He threw her inside and two men were waiting for them. "Get her ready." She was roughly grabbed and one of the men tied her wrists together in front of her body before she was made to stand on a box. They put her hands over her head and hooked them onto something before kicking the box out from under her.

Beth cried out as he shoulders took the full force of her body being dropped. She swore she heard one of them pop out of place. Gareth walked up to her and grabbed her face, making her look at him. "How many of you are there?" he asked.

Beth shook her head. "I, I don't know."

His fist collided with her head and her vision swam. "Don't fucking lie to me." He smirked, looking at her. "I should have started with you. The others, they're tough, they can put up with this, they wouldn't tell me anything either." He grabbed her face again and made her look into his cold eyes. "But you're just a little thing aren't you? I'm amazed you lasted this long. You'll break easily."

Beth steeled herself away. If he thought she was going to break, he was wrong. None of the others had told him anything, so she wasn't going to either. "Now, how many of you are there?" he asked again. Beth kept her mouth shut and just glared at him. "Fine, I'll break you." He punched her stomach, and the air rushed from her lungs. "Give me the scissors." Beth tried to get her lungs to work again as Gareth walked behind her and started to cut through her clothes. She struggled, even though her arms and shoulders protested. She'd already gone through this already; she couldn't go through it again.

He didn't touch her though. Once he had cut through her shirts in the back he spread them open and let them hang. He walked back in front of her. "How many of you are there?" She looked at him; she wasn't going to tell him. Instead, she spat in his face. He glared, wiping it off and nodded to someone behind her. Beth heard the whistling and the sickening crack before she felt the searing pain across her spine as the leather connected with her body. She screamed as four more quick lashes landed on her. "You still want to play tough?" he sneered. "We can keep this up all day." She still didn't say anything. She screamed as whoever was behind her whipped her again.

Eventually Gareth told him to stop. "Fine, if you won't tell me that, then tell me where you all came from." She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Gareth growled and punched her again. Her vision swam as she felt blood running down her back and her head. "Your group is going to regret pissing me off." She screamed as he stabbed a knife deep into her thigh. She was losing a lot of blood, she could feel the darkness coming over her. "You're going to tell us." The air was forced from her lungs and she heard the sickening crack of her own bones as he drove a lead pipe into her side. She screamed until her throat hurt, she screamed until she passed out.

…

Daryl growled as they forced him into a chair and tied him down to it. "Where'd they take Beth?" he demanded.

The man standing above him just laughed. "You've got other things to worry about. How many more of you are out there?"

"Go to hell." The man smirked and punched him, Daryl's already abused face protested but he kept his face calm. At least, until he heard Beth's screaming coming from below them. Anger swirled inside of him like a fire tornado and he struggled against the ropes holding him down, all the possibilities of what she was going through ran through his head and made him sick. The man who was in charge of working him over for information kept raining down punches and kicks, at one point Daryl felt the cold steel of a baseball bat breaking his ribs. He never said a word as he listened to Beth's horrifying screams.

Eventually Garth showed up, after Beth's screams had faded. "Is he saying anything?" he asked.

"No, he's just as stubborn as the rest of them."

Gareth walked over and fisted his hand in Daryl's hair, pulling his head up. "What did you do to her?" Daryl demanded.

Gareth smirked and quirked his head to the side. "I tried to get information from her. She's tougher than she looks." He looked Daryl up and down before huffing out a breath and throwing his head down. "Get him back to the car."

Daryl was pulled from the chair, his body too weak to fight back. The all but dragged him back to the car. He hadn't seen Beth and she wasn't with them. He was thinking he'd find her inside the car but when they threw him in and Maggie burst out into a fit of sobs, he knew she wasn't there. "What happened?" Rick asked.

Daryl shook his head as anger, regret, hatred consumed him. "They took us to different rooms." He punched the wall and fell down, his body too weak. He covered his face with his hands. "She screamed for an hour." Tears were welling up behind his eyes and his voice was hard with the emotions that were choking him. He looked at Maggie as Glenn held her. They were all thinking the same thing, but none of them wanted to admit it. They couldn't take another funeral. Not now.

Carl sat beside him and Daryl had never seen a more guilty looking person in his life. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "They should'a taken me, not her."

"Don't you dare." Daryl shook his head, putting an arm around Carl. The news was affecting them all, but Daryl could imagine what Carl was thinking. He was the only one they refused to question because he was a kid. Daryl would have been feeling the same way in the kid's place. "Gotta keep you around."

"But Beth…"

Daryl shook his head. "No buts Carl." The boy nodded his head and hugged his knees, staring down at the train car floor.

Rosita walked over and knelt in front of him. "I can't do much, but you should let me look at you." Daryl shook his head. He wanted the scars, wanted the pain. They fueled his revenge. He was going to rip Gareth's throat out and enjoy doing it. Maybe he'd pull a few other things out too.

All of their heads snapped up when the door was open again. A box was thrown in; it bounced and collided with the opposite wall. "Fix your selves up," a voice said before it grunted and threw in another body.


	6. Chapter 6

Apocalyptic Love  
Chapter 6

Everyone's wounds were forgotten as Maggie sobbed out her sister's name. Daryl hit his knees beside her broken and bloody body, his hand shaky as he reached out for her neck. "She's alive," he whispered. Rosita grabbed the first aid kit that had been thrown in and slid to her knees in front of Beth. Daryl stared in horror as they rolled her onto her sides. Blood was still pooling around her from the whip marks on her back. She was going to have scars, worse than his own. He could see the bruises already taking shape and discoloring her skin everywhere and she was bleeding from more than one spot on her head. Maggie knelt beside him, reaching out and taking her sister's hand.

"It's a good thing she's out," Rosita whispered as she started to clean the wounds as best as she could with what she had. "We need something better than this," she complained, using the antiseptic pads on Beth's back. "There aren't enough bandages either."

"Do what you can." Rick knelt beside Daryl and put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, give her some space."

Daryl shook his head. He wasn't going to leave her side. He helped Rosita move her body gently when she'd gone what she could with her back. He was pissed off, not only was he going to tear Gareth to shreds, but he was going to let him turn and then put a bullet in his head. Beth had been through too much already, this was just more shit adding onto the pile. "She's got some broken ribs," Rosita said quietly. "I need something to wrap them with. Daryl shrugged out of his vest and took off the shirt he'd been wearing. "Thanks." It was going to be colder without the extra layer, but she needed it more than he did. He pulled his vest back on and lifted her body so Rosita could tie his shirt around her tiny body where the bruises were ugly, marking the broken ribs. Rick removed his coat and took his own shirt off; handing it to Daryl so they could cover Beth's body. Her clothes ruined from the whipping.

When Rosita was done, Daryl gently pulled Beth into his lap and held onto her. He eyed everyone who came close; he didn't want anyone touching her again. He knew that was stupid, everyone with him would only care for her, but his protectiveness had been pushed through the roof. He wouldn't even let Maggie get close to her. Rick was pacing, Daryl knew he was trying to come up with a way out but at that moment Daryl didn't care. His only concern was the girl in his arms and keeping her safe.

…

Beth slowly woke up. Her head was throbbing, everything hurt, but she was warm. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up. Daryl was holding her in his lap. He looked horrible. Both of his eyes were black and blue and his lip still had dried blood clinging to it, not to mention cuts and bruises everywhere else. She slowly started to sit up but a sharp pain shot through her side and she whimpered. "Easy, Beth," he whispered as they drew everyone's attention to them. "Got some broken ribs."

She nodded her head and he helped her so she was sitting up, leaning against his body with her head on his shoulder. "What happened?" she asked weakly. She needed something to drink. Her tongue was swollen, her throat dry and achy.

Daryl took the water from Abraham and handed to her. "It's over, that's all that matters." He told her. She nodded her head and drank the water, handing it back.

Rick sighed as he walked over; he'd been on the other side of the car. "How're you feeling Beth?" he asked, kneeling in front of her. Daryl's arms tightened around her and she patted his shoulder lightly.

"I'm okay," she lied.

It didn't look like they believed her. She must look worse than she thought. "Can you stand?" he asked.

Beth shook her head. "I don't know." She reached out her hand and Rick took it, slowly as Daryl tensed under her. "It's okay," she whispered to him as she let Rick help her off of his lap. Her side protested, screaming at her and she winced, her hands going to it, thinking that maybe if she held it, it wouldn't hurt so bad. She took a few steps but tears sprang to her eyes and the pain created a fire inside of her. She shook her head, going light headed. Daryl caught her in his arms and held her up. She hissed when her back hit his chest, fire spreading out throughout her body. That's when she remembered, remembered the leather coming down over her back again and again, the lead pipe she'd taken to her side a few times. She just realized that she was wearing Rick's shirt, her own being ruined.

"It's okay, Beth, don't push it." Rick looked at her sadly; they were all looking at her sadly. She bit her lip as Daryl gently eased her back to the ground.

"There goes our escape plan," Abraham muttered.

"Ain't like it's her fault," Daryl snapped.

Rick stepped between them. "No one is saying it is, we just need to come up with something else." He rested against the side of the train car as he wracked his brain for a plan. Beth felt bad that she'd ruined everything.

Daryl shook his head. "No, stick to the plan. I'll carry her." He looked down at Beth, a light smirk tugging at his lips. "Serious piggyback."

She smiled a little, remembering their time before everything had gone to shit. "You sure you can manage that?" Rick asked, looking at him seriously.

Daryl nodded his head. "Yeah, if you can get her a gun, that'd be great, if not, we'll manage."

Rosita stepped up this time, standing beside Abraham. "It's going to be painful for her; she might not be able to shoot."

Beth shook her head. "I'll manage; I'm already a big enough inconvenience. I'll be okay."

With the plan decided they all waited. They were going to make their escape when they brought food. As soon as they heard the door opening, Carl dropped to his hands and knees and Maggie helped Beth onto his back, making it easier for her to climb on Daryl's back and wrap her arms and legs around him. She ignored the pain as much as she could as he reached back and hooks his hands around her legs, holding onto her. She made sure she was holding on tight enough she was holding most of her own wait, but loose enough that she wasn't choking him. The door slid open and Abraham and Rick were waiting on either side. As the two men with guns stepped in they each grabbed the gun and forced his back, hitting them in the face and sending them flying out of the train car.

They moved quick, shooting the other two men and holding Gareth off with a gun. Rick kept his gun on him as Abraham started picking off the snipers who were too afraid to shoot and risk hitting their leader. Rosita pulled a hand gun off of one of the dead bodies and handed it to Beth. She wrapped her fingers around it and used Daryl's shoulder as support so she could keep it steady.

"Hold on tight," Daryl growled out, taking a knife from Glenn. He walked over to Gareth and grabbed him by the throat, squeezing, cutting off his air as he took the knife and buried it deep into his stomach and pulled, ripping flesh and tearing organs. Gareth coughed up blood and Beth just stared at him, looking him in the eyes as Daryl killed him. He didn't bother killing the brain. He just let him fall as the firefight started.

As Daryl ran, following Rick and Abraham Beth helped the others and took the shots she could. She was doing better than she thought she would. She kept Daryl safe as he carried her out and until they were safe, she pushed the pain from her mind, too concerned about getting them out safe to be worried about it. Once they were out safe, the gun fell from her hands and she whimpered, digging her nails into Daryl's shoulders as the pain consumed her. It took over everything as tears leaked from her face.


	7. Chapter 7

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 7

Daryl gently put Beth on the ground in front of Maggie and Rosita. She'd passed out an hour ago from the pain. He growled as he turned away, shaking his head. This was killing him. She shouldn't have had to go through all of that. She should be fine, not lying broken on the ground. He didn't know how bad it really was, none of them did. If they didn't get the stab wound on her leg covered it was going to get infected, not to mention the wounds on her back. She needed clean clothes, clean bandages. He looked at Rick. "I'm going on a run, there's gotta be something in this shit hole town." He shook his head when Rick opened his mouth to tell him no. "I can't leave her like that."

Rick sighed and nodded, looking at Carl. "Keep an eye out with Abraham, we'll be back." Carl nodded his head. Rick put a hand on Daryl's shoulder and led him out of the building. Daryl was fuming but he had no one to take his anger out on. He should have done more to Gareth, made it more painful. He knew he was thinking like Merle and that kind of thinking was dangerous, but at that moment he didn't care. Beth was beaten, bruised, and broken. He would be surprised if she ever fully got over what happened to her. He should have made his death more painful. He and Rick moved from building to building, looking for food, supplies, clothes, they grabbed anything and everything they could.

They were on their way back when they heard it. The cries of a little kid. They looked over, heads snapping up. Carol and Tyreese were standing there, looking as shocked as Daryl and Rick. Carol was holding a crying baby Judith in her arms. Rick hit his knees as Carol slowly walked over and put the girl in his arms. Tears fell from his eyes as he held her close. Daryl threw his arms around Carol and held her close, his emotions finally spilling over, the dam breaking. He'd thought he'd never see her again, after what Rick had done.

"You okay, pookie?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him. Daryl shook his head, trying to keep the tears back. "Tell me about it." Tyreese helped Rick back, he wanted to get back to Carl. Daryl and Carol too their time, sending the supplies with Rick and Tyreese.

"I fell in love with her Carol…and now…" He trailed off, letting it hang in the air as he thought about the one hundred different things that could go wrong. "I should have protected her."

Carol put an arm on his shoulder as they neared the building they were staying in. "You did everything you could Daryl, the fact that you killed him for her and got her out, that's enough." She smiled as they walked inside. "I'll take a look at her; I've got some medical things too." She smiled at him but as they approached Beth, the smile faded. She was awake, sobbing as Maggie and Rosita poked and prodded at her back. The shirt of Rick's, and his own that she'd been wearing had stuck to the wounds Rosita hadn't been able to cover and they were trying to pull it away, as gently as they could.

Carol didn't waste any time. She sat down and started to help. Hershel had taught her and Maggie a lot before he'd died and Daryl was thankful for that. He sat in front of her, taking her hands and let her squeeze them as they worked on her. His heart broke with ever tear, every sob that fell from her lips. She was trying to stay quiet, trying to be tough, but he knew that wasn't going to be easy. He'd been there, at least with the lashes on her back. He knew how bad it hurt. Once the women had finished and Beth had screamed until her voice was hoarse, he gently pulled her onto his lap and held her as she calmed down in his arms. He stroked her hair and kissed her head. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair.

She fisted his shirt in her hands as she shivered against him. They didn't want to put a shirt on her, instead they'd just used the bandages and wrapped them around her body, covering her breasts from view as they covered her back as well. He grabbed a blanket they'd found and as gently as he could draped it over her shoulders. She whimpered as even that little bit of pressure on her back sent pain through her. Her only saving grace was that the stab wound on her thigh wasn't nearly as bad and they'd been able to pull her jeans back on so she had something on them. He held her close as she slept against him, vowing to keep her safe. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her again. He'd rather die.

…

It had been two weeks since they'd escaped Terminus and Beth was better, they all were. While she still had to have bandages on her back, she could walk again, with a limp because her ribs were still broken, but she was good enough to travel again. They were on the road, heading to D.C., they decided that was the best option for all of them. Daryl was trying to stay away from Beth. He'd done some soul searching and decided that he wasn't good enough for her. He couldn't protect her. He would do his best, he would do everything he could, but she deserved to love someone who could actually get the job done.

He watched her walk, she was sticking close to Maggie and Glenn and that was good. Her family could protect her better than he could. Glenn had stepped up since Terminus. He treated her like a little sister he'd grown up with. He was protective of her, caring, making sure she was alright, always asking her. Maggie wouldn't let her out of her sight either. He knew she didn't understand why he was distancing himself from her; he knew she was hurting because of it. He also knew that she'd get over it in time; she'd move on, find someone else; not some dumb redneck who couldn't keep her safe form psychopaths.

Carol slowed down until she was walking beside him. "What's going on in that head of yours?" she asked. That was why Daryl loved Carol so much. She could tell when something was wrong and she didn't back down until he was talking, he'd learned that the hard way. He really had missed her.

"She needs better," he told her, nodding at Beth.

Carol sighed and looked at him. They kept their voices low so she wouldn't hear them. "She loves you," she pointed out.

Daryl shook his head. "She'll move on."

…

Beth winced as she tripped over her own feet. Glenn's hands shot out and caught her, keeping her from falling flat on her face. "You okay?" he asked, looking at her. She nodded her head and kept walking. They were trying to find cars but they hadn't been able to find anything. There was a constant ache in her side and her back and her thigh, but she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to be the reason it took twice as long to get to D.C. as it should.

She was sure the pain would be worse if she wasn't so numb. Daryl had stopped talking to her, he wouldn't look at her, stopped sitting beside her. She didn't know why, she was confused; she spent every day searching her brain, trying to figure out what she'd done. The only answer she could come up with was that she wasn't strong enough. It had been her who'd taken the worst of the beatings, but it was her fault they had to wait two weeks before they could start traveling again. She was too weak for him and he'd realized that. He needed someone strong by his side, someone who could protect him.

She knew it was stupid, she knew she probably wasn't going to get him back, but she knew that if she didn't toughen up, she wasn't going to make it. Her side was almost healed, according to Carol and Maggie. Another week and she shouldn't be feeling the pain anymore. She made up her mind as she glanced at Abraham. Things were going to start changing.


	8. Chapter 8

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 8

Beth watched him get up from the fire and leave. She made some excuse to Maggie who had been watching her like a hawk lately and followed him. If there was anyone who would toughen her up, and not be afraid to do it, it was him. She didn't hurt anymore, she had waited until she didn't feel the pain anymore and she was sure the group was convinced of that. She caught up to him just as he was about to slip inside one of the tents they had managed to find about a week ago. "Abraham?" she asked, stopping him.

He stood up and turned, looking down at her. Damn he was big. "What's up little girl?" he asked, his hands going to his hips.

"I need to ask you a favor." He nodded his head, motioning for her to go on. "I want you to teach me how to fight."

He stared at her for a minute before a smirk pulled at his lips. "You want me to teach you how to fight?" he asked, echoing her request back at her. She nodded her head, making sure to push down the nerves. He wouldn't help her if he thought she wasn't serious. He sighed and ran a hand over his short hair. "Rick's gonna kill me, don't even wanna think about what Daryl's gonna do."

"They don't have to know," she assured him. "In fact, I would prefer they didn't. If it's okay with you, we can wait until they're all asleep."

He looked at her for so long without saying anything Beth was sure he was going to say no. She was about to turn and leave when he finally spoke. "I'm not going to go easy on you. You are going to bruise. You're going to be sore, and it's not going to be fun."

She nodded her head. She didn't want him to go easy on her. "That's what I want."

He swore under his breath on a sigh. "Wait an hour after everyone goes to bed and then meet me over by the trucks." Beth smiled and nodded her head. "And wear something you can move in," he called after her as she headed back to the fire. All she had to do now was wait.

After everyone had finally gone to sleep, Beth tried to keep the time. When she thought it had been long enough, she slowly slipped out of the tent she was sharing with Carol and Tara, sneaking through the camp and over to the trucks. Glenn and Maggie were on guard tonight and if that mean anything, it meant they were having sex. She found Abraham waiting for her, leaning against the truck that Rick usually drove. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Beth hand changed into a pair of sweat pants and a loose fitting tank top. It was a little chilly for the tank top, but she figured she'd be working up a sweat anyways.

Abraham led her into the woods, beyond the perimeter of camp. He stopped in a semi clear spot and turned to look at her. "How much do you already know?" he asked.

Beth shrugged. "Nothing really, just enough to kill walkers, but that's not what this is about."

"I figured that much." He sighed and started going through the basics with her. They spent hours out in the woods. He would explain how to throw a punch, the correct stance, how to hold her wrist just write, how to block and dodge, four different ways to escape a choke hold. The sun was starting to come up by the time he told her to relax. "You pick up quick," he told her as they quietly made their way back to camp.

Beth smiled. "Thanks. So, tonight again?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "Every night until I'm confident you're not going to forget anything, then we'll see what happens."

Beth nodded and thanked him again before slipping back into her tent. She could still get in a few hours of sleep before she would be forced to wake up so they could get on the road again, then she could sleep in the truck if she wanted to.

…

Beth groaned as she groggily dragged her butt to the truck. She'd gotten even less sleep than she had thought she was going to get. She and Abraham had been sparring for a few weeks now and the night before they'd been out until they heard Maggie calling her name. They had just lost track of time. Beth was getting better and better every night, and she was getting stronger. They were up to actual fighting now. They'd spend an hour or so going over the basics to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything and then they would spar until one of them called it quits. It was usually Abraham who stopped them.

She was so tired she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and ran into Daryl's back. "Sorry," she muttered, walking around him and throwing her back into the backseat of the truck.

Ever since Terminus and he had started ignoring her completely things had been tense between them whenever they had to talk. She still didn't know what the problem was, but she was ignoring it for now. She has other shit to worry about. "Didn't sleep much?" he asked.

She just nodded her head and climbed into the back of the truck, closing the door. She saw the glare in his eyes through the tinted windows but she didn't care. He gave up the right to be mad at her when he stopped talking to her for no apparent reason. Beth put her bag up in the window and rested her head against it as he walked around and climbed in from the other side, slamming the door. She just closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

…

Daryl kept looking at her as Rick drove them closer to Washington. He was worried about her. He'd heard Maggie calling her name this morning, claiming she couldn't find her and Carol had said she wasn't in the tent when she'd gotten up an hour earlier. He wanted to know where she'd been for all that time but he really didn't have a reason to ask. Maggie had tried to get an answer out of her but Beth just shrugged sleepily and headed to the tent to sleep for an hour before they had to pack up and leave. She was losing weight too; he didn't see her eating as much as she usually did.

As worried as he was, he knew it wasn't his place to say anything. But hell, he missed her. He missed talking to her, really missed holding her. It was his own damn fault. They had never really been together; at least, he didn't think so, but whatever they'd been, she was taking the break up better than he was which surprised the hell out of him. Dixon's got over women like a stripper picking up a single on a stage; fast.

He sighed when they stopped for the night and watched her climb out of the truck, grabbing the tent she shared with Carol and Tara from the back and walking off to set it up. He huffed when he saw Abraham walk over to her. He didn't know what was going on between the two of them but they seemed to be growing closer. He climbed out and grabbed his own tent that he shared with Carl and Rosita before going to set it up. All he knew was that he'd made one huge mistake letting her go.

…

They were deeper in the woods this time, farther away from camp. Abraham had come to her and told her he wanted to go earlier tonight, before everyone was asleep; he was just as tired as she was from the previous night. So she'd agreed and made an excuse about not feeling well and wanting to sleep it off as everyone else just started up a fire for dinner. They figured they had a few hours before they went to bed and they'd be back before then.

Beth jumped over a round house kick aimed at her knees and landed gracefully, swinging out her left leg and catching Abraham in the ribs. He grunted, grabbing her leg and holding it there. She knew he was going to flip her but she moved faster than he did and she used the leverage he had on her leg to jump up, using his body to climb as she wrapped her other leg around his neck. She used the full weight of her body, creating one hundred and ten pounds of dead weight as she swung her body around, dragging him to the ground. He landed with a grunt on his back and let go of her leg, allowed her time to roll away.

He smirked and looked up at her as she stood up, panting slightly. "You're getting better at that," he praised, slowly getting up, his joints cracking. "All we need now is a hot Diva and a wrestling ring and we'll have a show."

Beth rolled her eyes and took a drink of her water. "It's the end of the world, aren't there better things to think about?" she teased. She and Abraham were growing closer and closer every day. She didn't think of him as a rough ex-military man anymore, she thought of him more like an older brother.

He shrugged his shoulders and wiped his head on his shirt. "A man's still a man, doesn't matter the circumstances." Beth rolled her eyes, tossing her water to the ground before they got back into it. They were so wrapped up in the sparring and the new moves he was showing her that they didn't realize they'd been found out. It wasn't until they heard some commotion going on at camp that they looked up. "Could be walkers," he muttered, grabbing his water and tossing hers to her. Beth caught it and took off running back to camp, pulling her knife out.

However, when they got back to camp, everyone was around the fire, yelling and screaming about something, but there wasn't a walker in sight, yet. "What's going on?" she demanded, putting her knife back in place. Daryl looked up at her, his eyes flashing. He didn't say a word as he walked over and pulled her shirt up over her stomach. "Daryl, what the fuck?" she demanded. He looked at her closely, and she saw it in his eyes when he saw the bruises all over her from the sparring she'd gotten with Abraham.

His eyes turned feral as he trained them on Abraham. "You stupid son of a bitch," he growled, lunging at him. Rick and Glenn stepped in then, pulling him off of Abraham. "After everything she's fuckin' been through you're gonna fuckin' hit her?" he demanded.

Beth glared and punched him, hard. His jaw was going to be sore for a while. "You dumb redneck," she seethed. "You don't have the right to do anything with me anymore. I asked Abraham to teach me how to fight." She glared at him as she crossed her arms and he rubbed his jaw. "I asked him to help me because of everything that's happened. There're more than walkers out there." She shook her head. "You lost the right to be protective over me the second we left Terminus and you started ignoring me."

Everyone was staring between her and Daryl now, wondering what was going to happen. No one talked to a Dixon like that, and no one punched a Dixon unless they wanted a beat down. So, they were all shocked as hell when Daryl just grunted and stalked off to his tent for the night.

"How long has this been going on?" Rick asked, looking between her and Abraham.

"Since my ribs stopped hurting, a few weeks."

Rick sighed and shook his head. "Beth, I think it's great that you want to learn to fight, but are you sure this is a good idea? You're covered in bruises."

Anger flared inside of her. She was quickly losing control. "I ain't gonna be the reason anyone gets hurt again. You ain't my daddy, you ain't my brother, so if you don't like it tough." She grabbed a blanket sitting in a pile by the fire, her bag she had yet to put it the tent and stalked off to the truck, climbing in and slamming the door. She wasn't going to be the weak link anymore.

…

It had been a week since the incident with Daryl and Abraham and everyone finding out about the secret. Abraham and Beth figured since everyone knew there was no point to hide it anymore and before dinner every night they'd spend a few hours going at it with each other. Over the first few days Rick and Maggie who had protested loudest about it grew to accept it, seeing that Beth could hold her own thanks to Abraham's teaching. The only one who didn't know how good she was, was Daryl because he refused to watch. He'd stay in his tent until it was over or go hunting. They hadn't spoken since he'd attacked Abraham and Beth wouldn't even look at him, riding in a different vehicle completely so she didn't have to be around him. She was still furious with him. It was midmorning as they passed the sign that spelt out that they were entering the city limits of the capitol. She just hopped that the White House was still standing. That's where they were headed. Eugene said there was a special lab set up for him to work at and it should still be there, even if there weren't any people.

She tapped Abraham on the shoulder. "Open the sunroof for me?" she asked.

"Sure thing doll face." He pushed the button and the sunroof on the SUV slid back.

"Thanks." She put her feet on the armrests of the front two seats and poked her head through the sunroof, sliding her body out and sitting on top of the car with her feet hanging inside. She'd never seen the capitol before and even though there probably wasn't much left and it was probably going to look like every other city left, she still wanted a good view.

She felt Abraham tapping her leg with the CB radio. She'd seen anything before they did from her vantage point. She took it and held it securely as they rounded a curve. She held the radio up to her mouth, hoping they'd be able to hear her over the wind. "It doesn't look like there's any settlements set up," she told everyone. "Just…walkers. A lot of walkers." She sighed and looked out at the city. It looked like a fire had touched everything. She wondered if that was what Atlanta had looked like.

Abraham slowly started to make his way through the streets, passing a gun up to Beth so she could pick off walkers in the way as Rosita gave him directions to the White House. Beth's aim still wasn't perfect, but as she held the radio in one hand and the gun in the other she was able to get rid of most of the walkers in the way, not drawing any more to them thanks to the silencer on it. As they started to near the gates of the White House and grabbed the radio and quickly held it up to her mouth again.

"The gates are still standing," she announced.

"That's awesome," Rick said over the radio. "How many walkers are we looking at?" he asked.

Beth squinted, trying to get a better look. She couldn't see that well, so carefully she stood up. "Tell her to sit the fuck down," she heard Daryl gripe over the radio.

She rolled her eyes and looked around. "Doesn't look like that many, should be able to take them out pretty easily. I don't know how many are actually inside the building. It looks like the front door is open."

"Thank god walkers can't get up stairs," Glenn added over the radio.

"Okay, thanks Beth, now, sit down, you're giving Daryl a heart attack."

"Your sister too," Maggie pointed out.

Beth sighed and sat back down, handing the radio to Eugene as they pulled up to the gates. Rick and Carl climbed out through the back window of the truck as they stopped behind Abraham. "You just wanna pick them off from here?" she asked, looking over at him.

Rick sighed and looked around, taking stock of the situation. "Yeah, just make sure everyone is using their silencers." Beth nodded and climbed out of the car completely, standing on top of it. She reached her hand down to help Rosita out. Everyone climbed onto their cars and trucks, hanging out of windows as they started to pick off the walkers. With all fifteen of them it didn't take long before the lawn was cleared.

Rick jumped down out of the bed of the truck and walked over to Abraham. "I say we take a small party inside, assess the situation. With luck it won't be like cleaning out the prison." Abraham nodded his head.

"We should split into four groups; tackle all the floors at once." Abraham looked at Rick. "We could move in my tonight. Fifteen of us, four floors, one hundred thirty two rooms, it'll be a cake walk."

Rick nodded, agreeing with him. They split into groups. Rick, Carl, Michonne, and Daryl would take care of the first floor. Abraham, Rosita, and Beth would handle the second, Eugene going with them just so Abraham could keep an eye on him. Sasha, Bob, Tyreese, and Carol were going to cover the third floor, leaving Maggie, Glenn, and Tara to handle the top floor. Once they were ready, they made their way inside.

It wasn't nearly as bad as they had thought it was going to be. The closed gates, which Eugene had managed to hack into, had kept out most of the walkers. The first floor had it the worst, the other floors were just infested with people that had been there when they gates sealed and had ended up dying and there weren't many of them.

Beth followed Abraham's lead as they checked each room, making sure they looked behind every door. There was only about thirty walkers in total that they had to deal with and Eugene had even taken out a few. Beth smiled as they headed back to the first floor to see if they could be any help. She really liked the scientist, he was quirky.

As they rounded the corner where they stairs were she heard the hiss, and the grunt as a body hit the floor. She knew that grunt all too well. She took off, not thinking about her own safety. Daryl was pinned to the ground, his knife too far away for him to reach while trying to keep the walker off of him. Beth lunged, jumping off the third stair from the bottom. She grabbed the walker around the waist and rolled, pulling it off Daryl and pinning it to the ground, stabbing it in the head as a few more ambled out of the room Daryl had been clearing. She jumped up and they went back to back as the walkers surrounded them.

"Keep up, old man," she taunted, grabbing a walker by the shirt and drove her knife under its chin and into its brain. She let it fall as another one came at her. She easily side stepped it, grabbing it by the back of the shirt and pulling it to the ground, stomping on its head with her boot, smashing the skull and smearing its brains.

Daryl looked up at her as everyone started to make their way back, the house completely cleaned out. He nodded his head in thanks. Rick looked around at everyone. "Everyone alright?" he asked. Beth put her knife back into its sheath and nodded her head. "There's a few rooms down here the walkers hadn't gotten to. We can sleep in those for the night, once we get the gate sealed again and the door barricaded. Tomorrow we can start burning the bodies and working on a game plan."

No one had any objections and the sound of beds sounded way too good to them. No one bothered with dinner that night; they'd get up in the morning, eat something and get to work. For now, everyone made their way to a room and crawled into a clean, yet dusty bed and had one of the best night's sleep they'd had since before the prison.


	9. Chapter 9

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 9

Beth sighed as she dragged one of the last walkers out of the house and into the backyard where the men had pulled a dumpster over to throw them in to burn. The house was just about empty of walker bodies and Carol, Tara, Bob, and Sasha were going from room to room, trying to clean it up as best they could with whatever cleaning supplies they had found. They all knew they were going to have to go on a run soon. There was plenty of food, but it was cold and they didn't have much in the way of winter clothes anymore. She dragged the body over to the dumpster and laid it out by Daryl's feet. Things were slowly getting better between them. They were at least talking now.

"Thanks," he muttered, grabbing the shoulders. Beth nodded and grabbed the feet. They lifted it into the dumpster, letting the fire destroy it. "How many more are left?" he asked as she wiped her hands on her jeans.

"Half a dozen, Abraham and Rick are bringing them out." He nodded his head and climbed up on his ladder to look inside. "We got room?" she asked.

He didn't get a chance to answer. Glenn came running out holding a bottle of vodka. "Guys, I found the coolest thing ever." He smirked and looked between them. "You have to come see this."

"Short Round's gonna get drunk again," Daryl muttered, following Beth into the house. They made their way to the kitchen and just stared at what Glenn had found. There was a pantry, which was empty, but beneath the pantry there was a trap door and they stared in shock as Carl, Maggie, and Glenn continued to bring up more and more food and alcohol.

Glenn looked at Rick. "This is more than we had at the prison. We have to have a party."

Rick sighed a little and took the vodka bottle from Glenn, staring down at it. Beth had to admit, a party sounded like a great idea, they'd all be able to relax. Rick nodded his head looking at all of them. "Let's finish clearing out the bodies then we'll have a party."

The group's mood completely changed then. Instead of dreading going on a run they quickly got the remaining bodies out as everyone started to set up for the party. Before they could open any of the bottles Eugene stopped them. "I thought you would just like to know that I've managed to get the electricity running again."

They all stopped and stared at him. "How?" Sasha asked.

"It's not rocket science. It's only in this building, but it shouldn't go out as long as I monitor it." Eugene shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Does this mean we can…take showers?" Carol asked hesitantly, not wanting to get her hopes up too high.

Eugene nodded. "Should be able to, with hot water too."

Beth couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the group move so fast, everyone running off to their rooms to take showers. She sighed a little, happy that things were starting to change for the better. Eugene said he was going to start working on the cure tomorrow and tonight, they were celebrating. She made her way up to her own room and dropped her clothes on the way to the shower, thankful that she had something at least somewhat clean in her bag that they'd picked up along the way. She moaned when she stepped under the hot water and scrubbed off all of the grime and dirt. She didn't care what anyone said, Eugene was a genius and she loved him.

Beth was one of the last ones to arrive to the party, Daryl had even beaten her. She'd spent at least an hour in the shower, just letting the warm water cascade over her. The party was in full swing when she arrived. She walked over to the alcohol and grabbed a glass of what she assumed was whiskey. The first few sips burned, and it tasted a little like cough medicine, but she slowly grew to like the taste. With the electricity back on, someone had managed to find an iPod and hooked it up, letting music drift through the room. It didn't take long for everyone to get drunk.

She laughed on the couch, watching Maggie and Glenn dance, Glenn was stumbling around and hanging on to Maggie than dancing. They all had needed this. It was good for them. Off on the other side of the room Sasha and Tyreese were telling stories about their childhood together as Sasha sat on Bob's lap. Beth smiled a little knowingly as Carol walked over to Tyreese, wrapping her arms around him. It looked like being alone together had been good for them.

Beth just sat on the couch and watched everyone, slowly make their way to bed, noting that most of them, were not going to bed alone. Sasha and Bob disappeared first, followed by Maggie and Glenn. When she saw Michonne take Rick's hand and lead him up stairs she just smirked. Carol and Tyreese discreetly left next, and then she swore she saw Tara and Rosita run off somewhere. Abraham and Eugene left when Eugene felt sick, Abraham still not letting him out of his sight. She shook her head and got up, turning off the music, trying not to fall over as the alcohol in her system made her clumsy. Carl was picking up empty bottles and looked over at her. "You need help?" he asked, noting the way she stumbled around.

She smiled and shook her head. "I'll manage." She walked over and hugged him. "Night." She turned around and was so thankful for rails as she attempted to climb the stairs. She was suddenly very aware of how grateful she was to not own heels because it would have been impossible. More than once on the climb up she considered just sleeping on the stairs.

She rounded the corner that would take her to her room at the end of the hall, between Rosita and Abraham's. She didn't know why, but she'd gotten closer to the group they'd met. She trusted them, and she figured some of it had to do with the fact that Abraham taught her to fight. She sighed, not paying attention in her drunken state and ran into Daryl as he came out of his room. "Sorry," he muttered, reaching out to keep her standing. She noted the slur in his speech.

She shook her head looking up at him. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the fact that she just missed him so much, or maybe a combination of both. "Hey, at least we didn't play Never Have I Ever tonight." He huffed and dropped his arms, stepping back. "What's wrong?" she asked, taking a step towards him.

"You're drunk."

"No shit, so are you." She crossed her arms. Now she was just getting mad. It was okay for him and everyone else to get drunk, but she couldn't? "What's your problem?"

He glared at her, his own anger growing. "I ain't got no problem. What's yours?"

Beth huffed in frustration and pulled on her hair. "You're just a dumbass," she muttered.

"What the fuck did you just say to me?"

She looked him in the eyes, not backing down. "I called you a dumbass." It had to be the alcohol. If they were both sober, he wouldn't have slammed her into the wall, kissing her, his hands grasping at her hips and fisting in her hair, she wouldn't be kissing him back, her hands grabbing his face, running through his soft hair, moaning as she sucked on his tongue. He growled into the kiss, his hands cupping her ass, picking her up. Beth moaned as she wrapped her legs around his.

"Where's your fuckin' room?" he rasped out, his lips kissing over her jaw to her neck.

Beth moaned, letting her head fall back on her shoulders. "Second to last on the right," she gasped out when he bit down roughly. She rocked her hips against him as he carried her down to the room. He pressed her up against the wall as he opened the door, carrying her inside before slamming it shut and pressing her up against it.

"You wanna stop this, you tell me right the fuck now," he ground out, his hands going to her shirt pulling it over her head.

"Don't you dare," she moaned out, arching her back off the door and unclasping her bra. He grabbed it in the middle and pulled it off her arms, burying his head in the valley between her breasts. She moaned, her hands fisting in his hair, pulling him closer against her as he licked and bit his way over the curve of her breast, finding her hard nipples. She was burning up as he touched her, a fire had settled low in her belly and it was only growing more and more intense. She whined, pulling on his shirt as she realized he was still wearing it. "Take this off," she demanded. She wanted to feel his skin against hers.

He turned, walking away from the door and dropped her on the bed. She licked her lips as he grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head, letting it fall to the ground. Her eyes fell to his hips as he unbuttoned his jeans, letting them fall from his hips. She moaned when she realized he wasn't wearing anything under them. She rubbed her thighs together, slick and oh so ready for him. He smirked and walked to the edge of the bed, leaning over her and pulling the rest of her clothes off of her.

"Been dyin' to get ya naked," he whispered, climbing onto the bed, settling himself in the cradle of her hips. Beth gasped when she felt his cock against her, hot, hard, pulsing. She ran her hands down his back, arching her body under his, rolling her hips, trying to get some friction. He smirked against her skin. "Someone's hot."

She huffed and ran her hands down his chest. "Please, Daryl," she whined, arching her hips. He smirked and hooked one leg over his shoulder, the other around his waist before he pushed into her. Beth let her head fall back against the pillows, her back arching. It was better than she'd thought. He stretched her, filled her, hot and thick inside of her. Her nails in to his shoulders as he rocked against her. "Oh god," she gasped out, her nails running over his skin, gripping his hair. "Fuck, Daryl."

He growled against her neck as her pussy clenched around her. "You're so fuckin' tight," he growled out, his hands fisting in her hair and around her hip, drawing her body against his. "Fuckin' perfect."

The alcohol in her system was causing havoc to her nerves, she was dangerously close already. She could feel that tight ball of fire burning inside of her. Her nails scraped over his skin, her body undulated under him, tensed as she came hard, stars dancing under her eyelids. She heard Daryl groaned above her, his hands tightening her in hair on her hip as he came, his hips jerking against her.

He fell to the bed beside her, both of them gasping for air. Beth was too tired to talk about what had just happened. They could worry about what they'd just done in the morning. She rolled onto her side and wrapped her body against his. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, covering them with the blankets.

…

Beth squinted against the sun that was coming through the window. Her mouth was dry, her stomach was churning, and her head was throbbing. She whined and buried deeper under the covers, not wanting to be awake. She wanted to go back to bed and sleep the hangover off, but she knew they were supposed to go on a run today and they were going to need all of the man power they could get. When Daryl grunted and tightened his arm around her waist she gasped, the events of the previous night flooding back to her.

She blushed as she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. He looked like he was still asleep. "Still hate me?" he asked.

She huffed and pouted, laying her head on his chest. "I never hated you," she told him quietly. "I thought you hated me." She sighed, she really didn't feel well enough to do this, but she knew they were going to do this. "Thought you didn't want me cause I wasn't strong enough. S'why I started training with Abe."

He sighed and pulled her closer, burying his head in her neck. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for." He kissed her shoulder, slowly making his way to her neck. "You sure I'm what you want?" he asked quietly.

"Never been more sure." She lifted her head, leaning it to the side, letting him kiss his way up and down her neck. She closed her eyes, endorphins making her feel a million times better as Daryl made love to her, slow and sweet, taking his time.

By the time they managed to get up and take a shower, making love again, and made their way downstairs, breakfast was almost finished. Everyone gave them knowing looks, but thankfully no one said anything. They discussed going on the run and decided most of them were going to go. Abraham and Rosita were going to take one section of town, Rick, Michonne, and Carl another part, Maggie and Glenn another, and Beth and Daryl the last. They'd split up into four sections and get what they could while the others worked on fortifying their defenses.


	10. Chapter 10

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 10

Beth sighed when he parked the car in front of what used to be a Walmart. Now it just looked abandoned. She doubted they were actually going to find much. "First thing, we'll get bags, then we'll check out the clothes." Beth nodded her head and climbed out of the truck, her gun in the waistband of her jeans and her knife ready. Just because it looked abandoned, didn't mean it was. She followed Daryl into the store and they quietly moved back to where they would find bags. He handed her a few and took some for himself. "You alright to take the women's clothes by yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem. I'll yell if I run into trouble." Daryl nodded his head and gave her a quick kiss before heading off to the men's clothing. Beth sighed and made her way over to the women's section. She had a list of everyone's sizes but as she moved through the racks and took what she could she knew they'd have to live with whatever she could find, and there wasn't much in the way of sweaters or coats. They were going to have to check the back of the store in storage. Hopefully there was something there.

Beth grabbed everything she could until the bags were full and she had to make a trip back for some more. She was getting a few off the hooks when someone grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against a chest, a knife against her throat. She glared over her shoulder. "Well, would you look at what we have here; you're a pretty little thing."

"Think we can keep her, Mike?" Another man came out from the other side of the shelf she'd been getting bags off of, holding another knife. It didn't look like they had and guns on them. she thought about calling for Daryl, but she didn't know how many more of them were out there and she didn't want to alert them. Instead she remembered what Abraham had taught her.

"I think we can," Mike whispered, his hand going up her side. Beth closed her eyes and grabbed the hand holding the knife to her throat. She yanked on it hard, pulling it down to her knee. When she hit the reflex the knife dropped to the floor and he grunted in pain. "Little bitch." He reached out, grabbing her long hair. Beth whined as he pulled the roots already weak. She elbowed him in the gut and Mike doubled over, holding his side. The other man came at her and she ducked under his knife and punched him in the stomach.

"Beth?" She looked over at Daryl as he came around the corner. "You alright?" he asked, holding the crossbow he'd found on Mike.

She nodded, rubbing her head where her hair had been pulled. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Both men slowly stood up and glared between her and Daryl. "This here is ours, I suggest ya'll get."

Daryl's lips quirked into a smirk. "Little girl already kicked your asses, I think you're the ones that better get."

Mike growled and took a step towards Daryl. "I outta kill the both of you."

"Mike, let's just go. It ain't worth it." The other man who didn't seem to be as ruthless as his partner put his knife away. "Ya'll got a camp somewhere?" he asked, looking at Beth.

She glanced at Daryl. It wasn't a smart idea to advertise where they were staying. "We do."

"What if we came back with you?"

Daryl moved close to Beth, keeping his bow trained on Mike. "Nah, ya'll just better get." He nodded at Beth who grabbed the bags they both had dropped. Mike huffed and dragged his partner out of the store. When Daryl was sure they were gone he looked at Beth. "You alright?" he asked.

She nodded her head and threw her bags over her shoulders. "Yeah, let's finish this up," we've still got a few other places to hit up." Daryl nodded his head. They cleared out what they could in the way of food before they went back to the sporting goods department. Daryl broke the glass on the gun case, which both of them found strange. Usually they were the first things to go, but they shrugged it off and grabbed the half dozen shot guns and loaded up on ammunition. Daryl was able to get more arrows for his bow and grab another compound bow and arrows. He mentioned something about teaching he how to use it which just made her smile as they headed back to the bedding.

Daryl and Beth both had to get carts at one point because they'd filled up a dozen bags with supplies. After the blankets and pillows came the medicine. They got everything from the shelves before they broke into the pharmacy and grabbed all of the prescription strength stuff. "We should check automotive," he told her as they pushed the already heavy carts down the aisles. "Those cars aren't going to last forever."

Beth nodded her head and followed him back. They grabbed what oil they could, tools, anything Daryl thought they might need. By the time they were on their way back they didn't have room in the SUV to stop anywhere else. It was filled from top to bottom, side to side from the trunk all the way up to the back of the front seats. Daryl had to let Beth drive because they'd had to move the seats up as far as far as they could go and he wouldn't have been able to.

When she pulled up to the gates of the White House Sasha and Tyreese were waiting to open them. Beth drove in and parked as they came over. "How'd you do?" Tyreese asked. Beth grinned and opened up the back, showing them just how well they'd done. Tyreese and Sasha stared at their haul. "Even in a zombie apocalypse you can find everything and Walmart." Tyreese laughed and put his arm around Beth. "Nice job you two."

"Did you run into any problems?" Sasha asked as they started to unload the vehicle.

"Just a couple of drifters, Beth took care of 'em." Daryl grabbed some of the heavier bags with all of the canned food and made his way to the house. Carol and Bob came out to help them unload.

"Nice going." Beth smiled and helped carry things inside as Rick, Michonne, and Carl pulled up. Sasha quickly opened the gates, the others weren't far behind them.

Rick stepped out and looked at the nearly full car then looked at Beth. "Well, guess we know who's going to be loved tonight," he teased as they started unloading the other vehicles. "Did you guys get everything?"

"No, there's still a lot there we could use but we couldn't fit anything else in the car." She rolled up a few of the blankets and passed them to Sasha and Bob before climbing inside to move things closer to the back. "We could probably go again today or tomorrow if you want."

Rick nodded his head, coming over and taking the shotguns from her. "These were still there?"

Beth nodded. "Yeah, and I took a look in the back before we left, it didn't look like anything back there had been touched, so there could be some more."

"Well damn, looks like we just need to unload these cars and head back to Walmart," Abraham muttered, taking a few of the bags.

Once the cars were empty they agreed it was the best idea to go back to Walmart and get what they could. By the time they were done for the day they'd made three trips in total, completely filling the vehicles each time. Everyone was in the best moods they'd been in for a long time as they ate dinner that night in the living room, with actual lights. Beth noticed the way Daryl seemed to be getting closer and closer to her as the night wore on. She really hoped things were really changing for the better between them.

She saw him get up and stretch, his back cracking as he did so before he looked over at her. "You wanna stay with me tonight?" he asked shyly. Beth smiled and nodded her head, getting up and going to him. She slipped her hand into his as he led her up stairs to his room where he made love to her again before they passed out in each other's arms.

"About damn time," Rick muttered, watching them walk off.

Maggie nodded, resting her head against Glenn, fighting off sleep. "I thought they'd never get over it." She smiled a little when Glenn wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You're alright with her and Daryl?" Tara asked. "He's like twice her age."

Maggie shrugged. "If she loves him then it's not my place to get in the way."

…

A few weeks passed as the group settled into their new home and Eugene worked almost around the clock on the cure. Things between Daryl and Beth had changed dramatically. They were always with each other, it was hard to find one of them alone anymore. Beth was once again that happy, vibrant young woman she'd been before they'd lost the prison and Daryl's mood was getting better every day. They were sitting down at breakfast one morning when a very tried Eugene shuffled in, the biggest smile on his face. "I did it."

Everyone froze, looking up at him. "You've got a cure?" Rick asked, slowly standing up. They didn't want to believe it, didn't want to get their hopes up.

Eugene nodded his head slowly. "I think so. I'm going to need to test it before I call it a successes, but yeah, I think I've done it."

"What the hell are we waitin' for, let's go get a test subject." Abraham got up and headed for the door, everyone followed. "How many do you need?" Abraham asked as they pulled on their boots and strapped weapons to their bodies.

"At least ten, I want to make sure it works." Eugene rested against the wall, his head lolling forward as he started to fall asleep.

"Okay big guy, you need to sleep before anything else happens." Rosita wrapped his arm around her shoulder, Tara taking the other side. "We'll get him to bed, you get the walkers."

Rick nodded his head and looked at Michonne. "Think we cut their arms and jaws off we'd be okay?" he asked.

She tightened the strap of her sword around her shoulders. "Should be, even with ten they won't be able to do much."

Rick nodded his head. "We'll need to find a way to transport them."

Beth spoke up this time. "There's one of those bank trucks about three blocks from here. I don't know if it runs but we could use that." Rick nodded his head. They all climbed into the SUV and headed out. It didn't take long to collect the walkers. While Rick and Abraham held them down Michonne cut off their arms and jaws, Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, and Beth held off the walkers that were everywhere else, getting the next one ready while Carl threw them into the back of the truck.

When they got back to the White House they left the walkers in the truck until Eugene had gotten a little sleep. Once he was ready they led them in, one by one and strapped them down to chairs. Eugene injected with the cure he'd created. "Now what?" Tyreese asked as they all gathered around.

"Now we wait. I don't know how long it's going to take." Eugene put the syringe down and crossed his arms. "It could take minutes, hours, days, I don't know."

"Well, we might as well get some sleep." Rick looked at Abraham, you wanna take first watch?"

Abraham nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

"I'll be down at midnight," Daryl added. They agreed on a four hour rotation and headed up to bed.

…

The next morning everyone was at breakfast except Glenn and Maggie who had taken watch together. When they came in with smiles on their faces everyone looked up. "You guys have to come see this." They followed them back to the room. Eugene was looking over four dead corpses, but they looked…healthy. They were still dead, but they weren't walkers anymore. They were people.

"It kills them?" Carol asked, crossing her arms.

Eugene nodded his head. "It wasn't going to bring them back to life. There's not one walker out there who doesn't have a hole in it that would be fatal to a human. But this way, it'll kill them." Eugene looked at them. "It works."


	11. Chapter 11

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 11

Eugene was able to get the cure to go air-born and more and more walkers were dying each day. The body count rose significantly each day and every day they went out, collected the dead bodies and burned them in a series of dumpsters they had lined up on a side street. With all of the walkers dying, all over the country and word spread of the people in D.C. more people came into the city limits every day. Rick called a meeting, deciding that they needed to come up with some system of government again and Abraham was fully backing him up on it.

They were all in the Oval Office one morning, talking it over. "We need to start appointing people, getting back to rules, and some sort of law." Rick crossed his arms and leaned back against the big desk. "Any suggestions?"

Glenn smirked and shot him a look. "Well, I think you should become the president."

Rick looked at him. "You're kidding right?"

"No, he's right." Abraham looked at him from the side of the room. "You've gotten this group through some serious shit, since the very beginning, not to mention that you used to be a police officer, you're the best option." He smirked a bit and nodded his head. "You're stuck with the job."

Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, but only if Daryl becomes the vice president."

"Hell no." Daryl shook his head, crossing his arms. "Ain't gonna happen."

Beth put her arm through his and looked up at him. "Daryl, c'mon, you're the best man for the job." He gave her a dirty look.

Rick nodded his head. "Daryl, you've been my right hand since the night you had to put Dale down. You're the one I trust for this."

Daryl huffed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're not gonna drop this, are ya?" he asked. Rick shook his head. "Fine."

Rick nodded his head, smirking. "Abraham, you're the only one with military experience, I'd like you to take over Secretary of Defense." They spent a few hours going through the different jobs that were going to need to be filled, if someone from the group couldn't fill them, then they talked about the people that had started to move into the city. A lot of them were staying at the White House for now, but eventually they'd start branching out into other buildings.

When the meeting was over and Daryl had somewhat come to terms with the fact that he was going to be the vice president, he led Beth out of the room. "You're going to be good at your job," she assured him as they headed back to their room. He grunted and walked inside. "What's wrong with you?" she asked. "You've been in a bad mood all day."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We gotta stop this." He looked at her with a stern look.

She frowned and looked at him. "Stop what?"

"This," he replied, waving his hands between them. "We can't be together."

Beth shook her head, confusion, anger, hurt running through her. "Why the hell not?" He didn't give her an answer. He just walked out, like typical Daryl, running from confrontation that involved feelings and not killing walkers. Beth refused to cry. She refused to give him the gratification. Instead, she stole herself away, pushed everything down, and walked out. Things needed to get done. Bodies needed to be burned, and people had to be looked after. She found Rosita and Abraham and followed them to make rounds. She didn't speak to or about Daryl for the rest of the day.

…

Daryl knew Beth probably hated him, she was probably confused. He hadn't given her a reason, hadn't wanted to. He knew she'd just try to talk him out of it, and right now, she needed better than that. The world was starting to get back to normal. The walkers were gone; she could have a somewhat normal life now. She deserved that much and she wasn't going to get that from him. She needed someone closer to her age and with all of the people coming into the city now he knew she'd be able to find that. He grabbed his crossbow and climbed into a car with Rick. They were supposed to go out and check around on people, make sure they were comfortable. He knew Rick could tell something was up, but he didn't say anything and for that, Daryl was grateful.

…

A month passed since the breakup, if they could call it that. Daryl wasn't sure what had really been going on between them before he'd called things off. Beth had shut down again and he knew it was all his fault. He hadn't given her a reason, hadn't explained anything to her, he'd just left. He knew the others had all noticed it by now too. It was hard not to when one day they went from being inseparable to not even looking at each other. He was on his way down for breakfast when Maggie cornered him. "What's going on with you and Beth?" she asked.

Daryl shook his head, he didn't want to do this, but he knew it was coming, it had only been a matter of time. "I broke up with her."

"Why?"

Daryl sighed and looked at her, crossing his arms. "You really gonna stand there and tell me you were happy about it?"

Maggie crossed her own arms. "You made her happy, that's all that mattered."

Daryl shook his head. "I'm too old for her, let someone else make her happy. Someone who remembers what happy is." He started to push past Maggie but she stopped him.

"Daryl, stop running. You're allowed to be happy too, and Beth makes you happy. We all saw that." She smiled a little sadly and cupped his face. "This is killing both of you, just go talk to her."

Daryl shook his head and pulled away from her, heading to the kitchen for breakfast. He wasn't going to talk to Beth; he wasn't going to get back with her. It would only make it hurt more in the end when she found someone better. It was better to let her go now when he still had time to get over it, before he was in too deep and the pain of losing her killed him.

As they days carried on Beth just shut down more and more and Daryl's mood only darkened more and more. Rick and Glenn noticed that he was starting to act the way he had before they'd found the farm. They were all worried about Daryl and Beth both, but Maggie was worried that Beth was going to shut down so completely she'd go into a catatonic state again like back on the farm. They all tried talking to Daryl and Beth both. Beth just ignored them, and Daryl told them to mind their own business. Abraham listened to Beth cry through the walls at night and Rick heard Daryl beating the shit out of punching bags at night. The world might be returning to a sense of normalcy, but until those two got back together, they'd always be broken. They were both too damn stubborn to see that.


	12. Chapter 12

Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 12

Beth woke to screams and gunshots. She had no idea what was going on but she could hear Abraham banging on the wall between their rooms. "Let's go princess, we're under attack."

Beth didn't hesitate. She jumped up, slipped her feet into her boots and grabbed her gun from the side of the bed. She opened her door and looked around slowly, making sure no one was waiting for her to come out. She saw that Daryl's door was already opened and he was gone. A pang of fear swept through her as she made her way down stairs, Abraham right behind her. "Shit," she swore as she ducked behind the wall again. There were four men waiting at the bottom of the stairs for anyone who might be coming down. She looked at Abraham as he pressed himself against the wall. "There are four of them."

He nodded his head and quickly moved to the other side of the stairs, barely dodging a shot. He gave her a nod and they both moved quickly, poking around the wall and taking shots. Abraham hit one guy in the chest and Beth clipped another in the shoulder. They both went down, but the other two men that had been with them started letting off shots like they were in a firefight. Beth winced and moved deeper behind the wall as part of the drywall blew away beside her head as the bullet crashed through it. "You okay?" Abraham called above the gunshots.

Beth nodded her head and once the firing started to die down, quickly poked around the corner again and shot one of them in the head, Abraham managed to take out the other one. They quickly made their way down another hall. "We have to find the others." She honestly just wanted to find Daryl, make sure she was okay. They made their way to the Oval Office where Rick had been working later and later every night.

They were almost there when Beth heard Daryl swear not far from where they were. "Go, I got this."

Beth nodded her head and took off down the hall in the direction of Daryl's voice. She heard gunshots as she approached. She didn't think about what she was doing. She rounded the corner and saw Daryl standing in the middle of an intersection, surrounded on both sides. She acted, she didn't think. She pushed him out of the way as two guns fired. She cried out as she felt the pain radiate in her shoulder and her hip. She heard more gunshots as she hit the ground, heard Daryl swear, heard him hit the ground beside her but she couldn't focus on anything, could only focus on the pain and the cold that was seeping into her body.

…

"Maggie," Daryl screamed, pulling Beth's head into his lap. There was so much blood; he'd never seen that much blood. It was pooling around her, soaking into her clothes and the carpet. He didn't know what to do. Her skin was already going cold, growing pale. "Damn it," he growled, "Maggie!" He heard her coming as he looked down at Beth. "Stay awake," he told her, resting her head on his knees. "You gotta stay awake, Beth."

She nodded her head, choking on blood as it filled her lungs. "Trying," she groaned out.

Daryl didn't pay attention to what Maggie was doing as tears pricked his eyes. "Try harder." He glared at the ugly bleeding wounds on her skin as Maggie ripped her shirt off. "Damn it Beth, you're stronger than this. Fight." She reached out slowly, her hands shaking as she wrapped it around his. He looked at Maggie as she looked up. "Tell me she's going to be okay."

Maggie shook her head. "I don't know."

Daryl growled and looked back down at Beth. "You fight, you hear me?" He shook his head. "I ain't gonna lose you." She nodded her head weakly, her eyes slowly fluttering shut. "Damn it, Beth, open your fuckin' eyes." She didn't answer him, didn't respond at all. "Maggie, talk to me."

Maggie shook her head, her hands covered in blood. Carol had showed up at some point to help. "Daryl, I don't know." They managed to get the bullets out, to get her patched up as best as they could. "Glenn, go find Roderick," Maggie told him. Glenn nodded and took off to find the doctor that had moved in not long ago. "Daryl, we're going to need you to carry her to her room." He nodded and picked her up, gently carrying her back up stairs.

He was lying her out in her bed and covering her up when Glenn showed up. "Roderick's dead."

Daryl growled as he knelt beside the bed, staring at Beth's face. He sent a prayer to a god he didn't believe in. He could have the air in his lungs if he kept her alive. He didn't leave her side as she slept. None of them knew if she was going to make it through the night. It was all up to her. Daryl took her hand in his, resting his head beside her on the bed. He didn't care that his knees were going numb, didn't care that his joints ached. He wasn't going to leave her side.

…

He squinted against the sun that came in through the windows. He groaned, rubbing his eyes and slowly sat up. His body was stiff from the position he'd slept in. He turned to look at Beth but his heart broke. She wasn't there, just bloody sheets. He feared the worst, that she'd died in the night and they'd taken her away before he'd had a chance to say goodbye. He growled, getting up and pacing. He was going to kill someone. He needed to his something. His head snapped up when the bathroom door opened. Beth slowly limped out, holding her bloody hip bandage. Relief swamped him as he went to her. "I thought you were dead," he told her, gently cupping her face.

She smiled a little, wrapping her hands around his writs. "You told me to fight, didn't you?" She rested her forehead against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'd always fight for you."

"I love you," he whispered. It was the first time he'd ever said it to her, but he meant it. She smiled slowly and pressed a little closer against him. "You can't scare me like that again."

She smiled a little and nodded her head. "I love you too." She kissed him, softly, slowly. "Wanna go get Maggie for me?" He nodded his head. It was going to kill him to leave her, but he wasn't going to be away long. He helped her back into bed before he walked out and knocked on Maggie's door.

Glenn answered. "She's awake, she wants Maggie." Glenn nodded and got Maggie as Daryl headed back to the room. He sat on the bed beside her as Maggie walked in, fresh bandages and some other medical supplies in her hands.

"Glen went to get you two some breakfast," she told them as she sat down. She slowly peeled the old, bloody bandages away before replacing them. She kissed Beth's head as Glenn brought their food in. "Glad you're okay."

They both left, leaving Daryl and Beth alone. She didn't want to eat, but she did drain two glasses of water. Daryl slowly eased himself onto the bed beside her and she rested against him. "As soon as you're better, I want to get married," he told her.

She looked up at him slowly, a smile on her face. "Really?"

He nodded his head, kissing her forehead. "Really. I was stupid to think I could live without you." She cuddled at little deeper against him.

"Mrs. Daryl Dixon," she whispered, yawning. "I like the sound of that."

…

Six months later

Beth smiled as Jacob performed the ceremony. She couldn't take her eyes off of Daryl. As soon as he pronounced them, Daryl cupped the back of her head and pulled her against him, kissing her in front of their family and friends. Beth laughed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him. Everything was good again. They'd gotten reports that morning, hours before the wedding that the last walker had died earlier that morning. They were in the free and clear. People were starting to rebuild and repopulate. Rick had agreed that a wedding was one of the best ways to celebrate and helped Daryl get ready, he and Maggie and Glenn had gone out on their own and found nice suits and shoes, they'd found dresses, they'd found everything they could for a proper wedding.

When Beth had woken up that morning she'd looked into the back yard and saw all of the tents being set up and could smell the food. Somehow Carol had managed to make a cake, with real frosting. Everything was perfect again, and as Daryl picked her up into his arms and carried her down this isle, she realized that everything was going to be perfect. They'd made it through the zombie apocalypse, they had lost people, they'd dealt with cannibals, they'd dealt with so much, but here they were, married, happy, in a walker free world.


End file.
